


Not Like This

by ThereIsNoTragedyInThat



Series: A Thousand Futures of Me and You [233]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Askbox Fic, Boys In Love, Fluff and Angst, Gift Fic, Hurt Stephen Strange, M/M, Protective Tony Stark, Short & Sweet, Trust, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:54:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26093722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThereIsNoTragedyInThat/pseuds/ThereIsNoTragedyInThat
Summary: Tony wasn't going to let things end like this. Not if he could help it.
Relationships: Tony Stark/Stephen Strange
Series: A Thousand Futures of Me and You [233]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1118655
Comments: 19
Kudos: 113





	Not Like This

**Author's Note:**

  * For [atypicalsnowman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/atypicalsnowman/gifts).



> Prompt by the lovely and supportive atypical-snowman: Stephen is injured in a battle, and Friday can’t find him. But Tony can hear him over the comm. 
> 
> This was going to be so much angstier but I decided to have mercy lol.

Tony let out a haggard groan as stumbled across the debris scattered over the freeway, the suit was hot and heavy around his body for once. Sweat slid irritatingly down his temple, his breath humid against the mask that was much too dark. They’d won, but the last blow had done a number on his systems…leaving him to fend for himself for a little while.

“Friday?” he grunted.

Silence.

Great.

Reaching up and slamming his fist none too gently against the side, his helmet flipped open, letting in blissful fresh air, not counting the dust dancing merrily through the sunbeams. Casting his eyes about, he was actually impressed with the level of destruction they’d managed to cause this time around. Impressed and exasperated because the paperwork would be nightmarish.

“Sound off!”

A chorus of voices rose to meet his cry, too uncoordinated to do any good. Shaking his head, he ungloved his hand and tapped insistently at his earpiece, “Friday? Come on baby girl I could really use a hand.”

Already tension had begun to build in his stomach, rolling sickly as he tried to count the members of his team fumbling their way toward him. His eyes were instinctively looking for a tall figure, the same one who usually strode forward to meet him as soon as a battle was done.

“Sir?”

“Friday?” he blew a sign of relief. “Welcome back”

“Thank you, sir. I’m counting seven vitals.”

Some of tension bled from his body. Seven, not including his own, that meant they were all alive at least but where- “Tony, someone is hurt.”

He stilled, her tone, usually authoritative and calm had shifted to something…fearful? That told him all he needed to know as his eyes skipped over the six shadows in various states of hurt in front of him. “Where is Stephen?”

Silence followed the statement followed by Steve’s head looking around, brows furrowed, “he was there at the end, somewhere to the east…he shot something at it…sent it back but I didn’t see where he went. The explosion…”

Tony had heard the expression of one’s blood running cold many times in his life…had experienced his fair share of horror…but this felt different, this felt like the night cops showed up at his door with apologetic faces and nothing good to say about how his whole life would change.

His mask flipped down, and he was in the air in a heartbeat, ignoring the protests of his team, “Friday, where is he?”

“I don’t know. The last explosion knocked out the GPS system-”

“Friday-” he growled.

“The comms are still working sir-”

“Patch me through, now.” 

Heart now hammering in his chest Tony felt it go still as the small claustrophobic space of his helmet was filled with the sounds of strained, painful, coughing. For a moment words were stolen from his lips, his head empty but for the sense of doom pervading every inch of his brain like a death sentence.

“Tony?”

His name was nothing but a rasp, a sound being squeezed out of a choking throat. It was just enough to knock Tony back into the present, “Stephen, where are you?”

A low groan travelled through the comms, “I don’t know.”

“Stephen-”

“Tony, something’s wrong. I can’t move.”

He hovered there in the air, eyes darting among the debris, helpless, “it’s going to be okay.”

A chuckle, not the least bit amused but trying hard, “of course.”

Stephen’s confidence in him was like a kick to the teeth. He expected Tony to find him, to help him and instead he was lost…alone…waiting…hurt. The realization that he didn’t know what to do was terrifying.

“Sir.”

“What?” he growled.

“The heat sensors are working.”

Like the flick of a lightbulb Tony felt relief bubble up inside him. Already his vision was darkening, searching for anything among the debris with average body temperature. He began scanning immediately, “Stephen, I’m going to find you. How badly are you hurt?”

Stephen’s breathing had only grown more laboured, like he was struggling to suck in a breath. An image assaulted Tony’s mind…of Stephen laying under a slab somewhere-

“Broken rib. Punctured lung probably. Concussion definitely.”

Swallowing thickly, he tried to lighten his tone, “so the usual then?”

He chuckled or at least managed some terrible parody of it as the air seemed to rattle over the line, “this…this might take the cake Tony.”

At the end of his words there was something there, something just a little too bitter and resigned. _No_ , he found himself thinking. _Not like this, not here, not today. I won’t let this happen._

“Stephen I’m going to find you; can you see anything?” he tried.

“Tony, I love you-”

“Don’t,” he snapped. “Don’t you dare Strange. Not like this.”

There was a pause. It was long enough to make bile rise in the back of Tony’s throat, to make his heart stutter, and the world tilt dangerously, then he heard Stephen’s voice, stronger if still plagued with pain…

“Levi has managed to get out. He’ll be going straight up.”

Tony’s head snapped up as he found himself quickly doing a circle.

There.

He almost let out a sob as he saw the Cloak hovering mid air, fluttering in the breeze, looking so lost without being wrapped around its sorcerer.

Tony hadn’t moved that fast in awhile. He felt the suit kick into overdrive, knew that was Friday’s doing, trying to make up for her non-existent blunder. Simultaneously she sent out a message to the other Avengers, giving directions so they’d be able to help.

He could care less.

The Cloak rushed to meet him, winding itself solidly around his wrist and tugging him down in the right direction. Of course, it would be today, in a situation like this, that would finally make him and the Cloak work together, abandoning their ongoing feud.

Landing among the rubble, Tony’s face plate swung up. It was piled high here, like an entire building had fallen to pieces. He tried not think too hard about the explosion Steve had seen when Stephen took out the enemy, tried not to listen to the wheezing on his comms.

Stepping around a boulder, Tony’s knees went weak at the sight of Stephen, laying on his back, covered in grey dust, pinned by a large piece of concrete. The Cloak rushed away from him, curling up and positioning itself under his head. Stephen used his valuable energy to reach one trembling hand up to pat it thankfully.

“Stephen?”

He turned his head up and to the side. The moment those electric blue eyes met his, Tony was done for. Rushing across the small space he threw himself to his knees and let the suit peel back just so he could touch his face, feel his warmth, remind himself he was here and alive.

For Stephen’s part, he stared back with bleary eyes and a small little smile, “you found me.”

“Of course, I did.”

“I’m a little stuck,” he offered thickly, voice a little too breathless.

“You’re going to be alright,” Tony promised. Already, Friday had scanned Stephen and offered the necessary calculations to lift the rock off of his legs. It would be easy enough…she already alerted Christine and within the next twenty minutes Stephen would be safe and sound at the Sanctum receiving the best medical and magical care there was.

The relief must have been obvious in his expression because Stephen smiled fully this time, his eyes communicating far more then he surely intended. He had been afraid, as afraid as Tony was. But he believed him…trusted him to mean it when he made that promise, to find him and take care of him.

Tony wanted nothing more to be worthy of that trust and today he had earned it. He had every intention of meaning it in the future too…no matter what happened.

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell into the void that is my tumblr inbox. Same username.


End file.
